The Power that Lies Within the Dormant
by RedactedIdentity
Summary: Latest chapter summary: A visitor within a metal pod lands in Wonderland, and the twins go to investigate. Image cover of Damian, my OC, is drawn by me.
1. Chapter 1

_Rated T for some language and bum-kicking action._

_Author's little speech:_

_My center align habit again, ugh. Sorry._

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><p><strong>The Power that Lies Within the Dormant<strong>

In a forest located somewhere in a dream world, there is a fifteen year old girl running along with her lovely blue eyes big and searching, her blonde hair streaming ever so gracefully behind her, and her white heels stabbing marks in the ground as she weaved her way smoothly between the pale tiger-striped trunks of the forest.

The girl's name is Alice.

This is Wonderland.

Now, Alice is not the original Alice, and this certain Wonderland is not the true Wonderland.

Don't ask me what the heck is going on. There are many things in the world that don't have an obvious what the heck, why the heck, how the heck answer to them.

This is one of them.

Anyways, Alice was the kind of pretty little doll-girl with a charming smile that made boys want to keep her, and older girls want to have her as the adorable, sweet little sister, while some other girls would like to tear her hair out by the roots to see if she'd dare flirt with their boyfriends again.

Some distance in front of the dainty Alice, also running, is another girl with black witchy hair and envy green eyes. She is grinning like a maniac for no reason as she pumps speed into her legs.

Her name is Aceli.

Well, actually, it's me.

I know my name is weird. Maybe my parents misspelled it or something, but apparently they wanted me to be an 'ace' at things, henceforth the name. And it sounded like Ashley, which is my mom's middle name.

Some parents and the weird names they give.

They ask for disappointment.

The way I'm turning out in school, I should be called Laze-ly or Laizzy, instead of Aceli.

And as for why I have a lunatic, teeth-baring grin on my face, it's because I think that it makes me run faster.

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><p>I'm trying to get away from Alice.<p>

Why?

She doesn't want me in 'her' Wonderland, and I would like to put as much distance between that girl and me as there is between the earth and the sun, her preferably on the sun's side, but she seems to like chasing me with an evil, injection-like object in her hand that she claims will 'expel' me from her dream world and land me firmly back into my own dreams. I don't like to look of that thing and neither do I like to idea of its needle stabbing into my flesh, even though I'm desperate to leave. Why can't we sort this out nicely? It's not like I can help it. Since I turned fifteen, every time I fall asleep I would find myself here.

(Alice started visiting when she was seven, that's why she has possessive/territorial issues with me, and also she believes she has the right to be here because her name is Alice and mine is not.)

It would be so much more pleasant if we leave each other in peace, minding our own stuff. If we happen to cross paths, we could just pull a face at each other, turn on our heels and walk away in the opposite directions. Simple!

But she can't get the idea into her head, therefore this absurd game of tag in our shared dreams. The superglue of cruel Fate holds us mutual enemies together and there's no escaping it, sadly.

It's tragically funny to remember that we used to be best of friends when we were young.

Looking back, I was relieved to see my sneakers have bested Alice's heels on soft ground: her eye-catching bright blonde has faded to a mere speck. It's a good thing that I have dark hair. Camouflaging isn't too hard in this shadowy forest. So thinking, I tripped over something and sprawled out on the soil.

"Pwaaagh!"

After I struggled up from the clammy ground, I glared at the cause of my fall.

"For crying out loud, can't you...!"

I froze as my eyes looked closer.

It was a —

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><p>Cloop-cloop cloop-cloop<p>

The sound of Car-Z beeped through from the other side of sanity. I felt the familiar but sickening tug that jerked me skywards, through the clouds, into outer space, the blackness fading as I slammed back to reality. My eyes snapped open, my heart leapt wildly for a moment, and I felt dizzy and ready to barf.

This was how I wake up.

"Ugh..."

HOOONK-HOOONK-HOOONK!

My hand reached out and pressed the bonnet of my little silver sporty car alarm firmly.

Car-Z clicked off happily and its LED blue headlights dimmed until it was just a bare glow. The digits on its windscreen read 6:40. I stretched, and sighed. My legs felt sore, as if it really had been running through a forest in Wonderland. I lazed in bed for another ten minutes.

Outside, the birds sang. A car drove past on the street. Dogs barked. I could hear Mom clattering around in the kitchen.

Monday morning with Alice to deal with at school, homework not done, and an exam coming up... just thinking about it was enough to make my face go blue.

Well, life goes on.

I kicked off my blanket and dragged myself out of bed to change. But while I was brushing my teeth, my mind went back to what I had saw in that last moment, and I knew the thought would stick to my brain stubbornly, come hell or high water, and Alice or teachers.

I heaved another sigh.

I may be damn lazy, but I'm also damn curious.

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><p><em>Present and past tense mixing together can be confusing, I know.<em>


	2. Chapter 2

_Right, so I'm a lazy person. You might not know what the hell is going on and I am not explaining. I normally do try to make my writing satisfactory (as I see it anyway) but in this fic, I'm taking a break. I'm writing it rough. It's a scrap-fic. Not necessarily trash, just not of the best quality I can offer. It might get deleted soon, but you can read it anyway...from a rather grumpy author, Ebony. By the way, I'm writing this on Word Pad since I haven't installed Microsoft Word yet, so there's bound to be mistakes. This might get deleted soon._

_Rated T for a reason._

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><p><strong>The Power that Lies Within the Dormant<strong>

With a strained grunt, I lowered my heavy burden down unto the blanket-piled floor as gently as I could. "Care to lend a hand here, Cheshire?" I asked sourly. The striped panther strteched lazily in mid-air. "Oh no, I don't suppose I can, Aceli. I don't have hands, you see. My sharp claws will only tear up our little guest here," He yawned straight at my face and snapped his jaws shut with a loud click, making me jump and glare at him. Cheshire, I really don't understand him. I thought he was on Alice's side. When I first came to Wonderland in my dreams, he was a fat cat floating near Alice's shoulder who definitely took great enjoyment in making me annoyed. He still loves teasing me, but he doesn't hang around Alice as much as before. Maybe he's playing renegade. I turned my attention to the person I heaved all the way from the forest where I found him to the Mini Teapot Dimensional House I got Madam Hatteress. In the soft yellow light that filled this cozy inside-of-a-typical-teapot shaped room, I could see that the unconcious person I found was a young boy. He wasn't breathing. But he wasn't dead either. Poor little guy just wasn't alive yet. I knew it with a certainity I didn't know how I got. It made sense in a crazy place like a Wonderland. I dragged blankets over the boy until he was snugly covered.

"You're suffocating the child," Cheshire said.

"No, I am not. He just needs some warmth and maybe then he'll wake up." I snapped back.

"Maternal instincts,"the grinning panther sighed and rolled those bewitching green eyes mockingly,"are wonderful things."

"And I don't think you are going to get a piece of it, kitty."

I climbed up the spout of the Teapot Dimensional House and returned to my normal size once I was fell outside. Cheshire slipped out more gracefully. Madam Hatteress waved a slender hand in our direction. "How's the Teapot, darl?"

"A very cozy hideout," I said gratefully as I grabbed a seat, "it's a good thing Alice is slightly claustrophobic."

"Oh yes, I do feel sorry for her. Last time I hid her in there, she was hyperventilating when I took her out."

The young white-haired woman tucked back a snowy curl of hair behind her ear, her red eyes twinkling mischieviously under the shadow of her cup-and-saucer hat. We smiled at each other knowingly. Cheshire pawed the air with boredom.

"Women," he exhaled.

"Wonderful, aren't we?" I grinned at him.

Just then there was a rapid knock on Hatteress' door.

"I do believe that's the Duchess." She adjusted her black and silver-gray Gothic Victorion dress, all lace, ribbons and complicated tucks, and rose up to welcome her friend. I took a sip of coffee from my cup and closed my eyes in bliss. Madam Hatteress made it just to my liking.

The Duchess entered with young eight year old Alex behind her. I couldn't help admiring the way her wavy dark green hair tumbled over her pale shoulders, the way her sharp aqua eyes gleamed coolly, the way her fancy ocean-coloured dress outlined her curves. Calm, controlled beauty, definitely, while Madam Hatteress was of a more open and prettier charm. Alex also had green curls of a lighter tone framing his cute, tubby face. I idly wondered why all of the characters I met in this Wonderland Alice and I shared were so damn good looking. Heck, even the Caterpillar was this forty year old charming beast of a lazy man lounging on his couch and puffing all day. If my mom met him, I was sure she would stare with enraptured wonder. The Duchess and the Hatteress were both talking about hats as they approached the table. Cheshire slunk over to the strikingly beautiful woman who scratched him fondly under his chin.

"How's life, child?" She asked lightly. I almost spurted out my coffee. Did she just call him that for fun or what?

"Just lurrrrvely," he purred, eyes narrowing into pleased cresent moons. I choked but managed to swallow bravely. No one saw that, thankfully. The Duchess sat down elegantly.

"Still haven't found a place to stay yet?"

"Mother, I don't need a house."

"All the better."

Alex was already tucking into a plate of baking goodies. You couldn't say he ate like a pig really. He ate with neat, polite manners, just abnormally fast and a lot. A very lot, lot. Duchess looked around, her cold eyes narrowing. "Who's new here?" Madam Hatteress clapped her hands lightly together with delight. "Aceli here has found a boy in the Forest; we don't know who he is and we're taking care of him for now."

"You put him in Dormouse's Teapot?" Slight accusation lined her blue voice.

"Your senses are in excellent condition, Loretta," Hatteress complimented," I'm sure Dormouse won't mind, after all..." She waved a slender hand absently.

Duchess glanced at me briefly. I tried to look as dignified as I could. She had that effect on people.

"Alright," she said emotionlessly.

Meanwhile Cheshire was teasing his 'younger brother'.

"Alex, there are pig ears on your head. Do you say oink? How do you say 'Actually I can fly" in Pig?"

There _were _two pink little adorable piglet ears on Alex's head. I stared for a second before I dragged my eyes away.

"May your teeth rot in, furball," Alex grumbled as he continued putting food in his mouth. More weird remarks were tossed between them and I listened with amusement. I was so busy laughing on the inside I didn't notice that Duchess looking at me.

"Ace girl," she addreesed me solemnly, making me freeze up inside.

"Yes?" I asked with a stiff, awkward smile plastered on my face.

"Watch out for the other girl." She sipped her tea.

"What girl, may I ask, Duchess?" Me speaking weirdly.

"The girl Alice has just befriended." The Dutchess studied her cup of tea, not looking at me.

I waited silently for her to continue. After a few more tense seconds, I was rewarded.

"Alice has convinced her to side up against you."

Another pause.

The green-ette set her cup down with a small clink.

"Be on the lookout, girl. Put as much distance between them as you can. Never, I repeat, never let her get her hands on you."

Those stunning eyes finally met my bewildred gaze with dead seriousness.

"If she does, you might never wake up again."

Ice dread clawed its way up my gut.

"What?" I gaped weakly.


	3. Chapter 3

**The Power that Lies Within the Dormant**

**Rated T for language**

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><p>Here I am, running again.<p>

This time from two girls: pretty Alice and her new friend.

And though she be short, the bruneette runs damn fast.

I dodged past a few trees, trying to get rid of my pursuer in vain. This isn't good. The brunette swiped at me with a glowing purple hand, which I avoid by a sharp swerve. Those hands...I don't know what's with them, but I've got a bad feeling.

"...never, I repeat, never let her get her hands on you." Duchess' warning came to mind.

"If she does, you might never wake up again."

Oh hell yeah, I'm running.

My side hurts like a MF... I dodged again. The girl laughed at me. I grinned back out of fear. I definitely need a stroke of luck to get away this time. Just as I thought that, the girl slowed down and skidded to a stop. I ran on even faster.

With a last glance thrown over my shoulder, I saw nothing but trees. What...? She had just disappeared! I was ready to freak out. Maybe she had Cheshire-like abilities, maybe she had a trick up her sleeve, maybe she fell down a hole, maybe she'd just suddenly show up in front of me, my wild mind fretted with paranoia. But I made it unhindered to Madam Hatteress' House. Hatteress wasn't at home. I opened the fake locked-window and slipped inside, still huffing from my close escape. Funny thing about Wonderland is that, even if you've ran at full speed for five minutes, and you huff and puff like the Big Bad Wolf, you don't sweat one drop. The house was silent and serene. I helped myself to a cup of water. Fianlly when I caught my breath again, I strode over the the shelf crammed with crazy teapots. The Dormouse's Teapot was here somewhere... I found it hiding behind two stern-looking spiky teapots. "There you are," I whispered as I set it carefully down on the table. Three taps against its handle.

The Teapot slurped me in.

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><p>Everything was the same in this sleepy-atmosphered room. I picked my way through the blankets. Dormouse definitely loved collecting them: the entire floor was buried by blankets of every colour and texture and there was still more to pile up in small hills. The boy hadn't budged even after two days. I knelt down beside him worriedly and poked his hand. Dead cold after two days of staying under warm blankets.<p>

"Hey, boy, can you hear me?"

No response, of course, but I wasn't expecting one in the least.

"My name's Aceli."

In the warm afternoon sunlight streaming in from round holes dotting one side of the Teapot's lid, I began to feel drowsy. Perhaps the reason why Dormouse loved sleeping was because of the air in here. There was something about yellowed sunlight like pages of secrets and sad songs faded by time to lull your concious.

"What's your name, mm?"

I stretched out on the blankets beside him. Sleeping in my sleep could make me wake up in real life. Sometimes.

"Why were you in the Forest?" I asked meaninglessly.

My eyes stared at the domed ceiling without really seeing.

"I wonder who you are..."

The dust motes swirled in the sunlight.

"I..."

"Aceliii..." something crooned eeriely.

I snapped into a sitting position and squeaked.

"Oh shiiii- Chesh, you jerk!"

The Cheshire was in the form of a flame red tiger today. He grinned with pleasure when he saw I had gotten a fright. I punched him on his shoulder half-angrily, which only made him chuckle.

"What were you doing, Aceli?"

"Just rambling to someone who can't hear me." I struggled up to my feet, glaring.

Cheshire turned the the boy.

"I'll wake him up if that's what you want," he offered and reached out a large paw with claws unsheathed.

"NO!" I yelled.

The feline took his paw back lazily.

"You sure are getting possessive over this boy," he remarked.

"You got it wrong, stupid cat," I seethed," It's protective, not possessive."

"Sounds the same to me."

"Blugh!" I groaned. "Your ignorance!"

We continued to quarrel with each other as we headed out.

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><p>The boy's hand flexed once, then stayed still.<p> 


	4. Chapter 4

**The Power that Lies Within the Dormant**

**T for language**

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><p>"You're lying."<p>

All around us students crowded their way to the next class. None of them noticed the weird conversation going on. Alice flicked one of her golden locks as she gave me the 'eyebrows-up'.

"I'm not, Aceli, I'm not lying." She smiled prettily at a cute boy going past before focusing on my disbelieving, stubborn face. "Daisy did wipe some one out before. You were just lucky she used up all her power before she got you." She put a hand to her mouth and asked me in a stage whisper,"Haven't you _eveeer _wondered why you've never seen the Dormouse before?"

I frowned. The conversation betwwen Madam Hatteress and Duchess floated back to mind.

"No way..."

"Yes way, Aceli, yes way. And you're going to be the next person Daisy erases off from my Wonderland!"

"Why did she do that?" I reeled back, seething, my mind not registering Alice's threat, "Dormouse and Daisy...aren't they supposed to be..together?"

Alice pouted. "I guess you don't know anything, intruder," she said in a voice that got on my nerves, "and why should I tell you? Let's just say they fell out and Diasy's decided to clean him right out of her life-and out of their world." I gaped at her. "A bread-and-butter fly's gonna go in your mouth. Anyway, see you tonight. It just might be the final one." The girl giggled crazily and clapped her hands.

" I can't wait!" And with another flick of her golden curls, she sauntered off. Someone jostled into me, knocking me right out of my stunned daze.

"Hey, watch it!" I snapped. The boy scrambled away, grumbling under his breath. "Blitch."

"That's witch to you," I hissed back nastily. "Your 'blitch' has just left." The boy rolled his eyes at me and disappeared into the remaining crowd.

I might seem like an OK girl at times, but I'm not.

I can get damn mean: I just need to find a reason.

Right now I was fired up at that girl, that Alice. Man, she's really getting on my nerves, what with manipulating others to do what she wants, like getting me wiped out, dreamworld-speaking, and snobbing it in my face during the day. One day, that volcano containing eight years of pent-up rage is going to explode, and all hell's going to break loose.

"I can't wait," I mimicked in a high squeaky voice and pulled a face at her back. She didn't notice, of course. I licked the side of my mouth thoughtfully. All hell's going to break out? Right! I happen to like a bit of chaos myself. It's time to retaliate.

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><p>When I return to Wonderland in my dreams, it's either properly, by lift (a large bottle with a rope around its neck lowered through the Rabbit Hole down to the Entrance Room with its Doors) or improperly, (by falling through space and landing somewhere in Wonderland), or randomly (just opening my eyes and finding myself someplace). Tonight I opened my eyes and found myself in the Teapot House.<p>

Dormouse's Teapot House.

I felt slightly saddened even though I have never met the Dormouse. Perhaps it was because I've never met him, that I felt sad. Did Madam Hatteress and March Hare feel anything when he was gone? Was he too much of a background person for them to care? Or was he simply a subject of cruel amusement for them to bully and tease around? I should ask Madam Hatteress some questions. (March Hare is Alice's devoted monster/ride/pet/friend/and others, so I am definitely not going to ask Hare)

It was probably near sunset in Wonderland, since the light that filtered in was dwindling away to nothing, leaving the Teapot Room in gentle blue-hued darkness. I looked around for the current guest. The boy was still snuggled under the blankets. I crawled over to him.

"Hey, when are you ever going to wake up?" I asked softly. To my utter surprise, the boy's hand twitched in response. A surge of excitement filled me. I tapped his cold cheek.

"Wakey wakey!" I called with encouragement. The skin under my hand suddenly cracked. I froze.

"...?"

Slowly, slowly, I took my hand away. A piece of something lay in my hand. Shell. My eyes went back to the boy and the cracks across his cheek. _This current face was fake!_ I reached out and gingerly plucked off a larger piece of ultra-thin, skin-coloured and textured shell. Underneath the crack was ...another face. With baited breath and careful hands, I peeled off more from the area. The skin beneath the 'shell' was warm. Somehow I felt like I was peeling off the shell of an egg, the mask of a newly-introduced character just born. Absurd. But I did it anyways. I progressed until about half of the face was revealed and sat back. The 'covering' was harder to pluck off than I imagined. I leaned forward to examine the new face.

He was Asian, maybe Chinese, maybe of another country, I'm not good at telling. Ten or eleven from my shaky age-guess-o-meter. I scratched my head. Before this, when I looked at the boy, he was just, well, a 'featureless' boy. He had a plain face, but it lacked _definition_. It's hard to explain this progress from 'just someone' to a 'person with character'. Being the usual lazy me, I didn't puzzle over it more than a few seconds since it could burn my brain if I thought about it too much. Just going with it, I sighed and gazed at the kid.

His eyes opened slowly. They looked up at the ceiling drowsily for a moment before sliding their focus unto my curious face. The life slowly flowed into the dark orbs.

"Hi," I greeted softly. The boy blinked a few times as he woke up. "What's your name?"

He stared at me owlishly. I had a feeling he couldn't hear well yet. All the gears were still clicking into place.

"What is your name?" I asked a few moments later again. The boy pulled his arms out from under the blankets and tried to sit up. "Wait." I put a firm hand on his back and helped him up. The boy placed a small, bony hand to the other side of his face and pulled off the remaining shell in one big piece. I took the shell from his hold and set it down with all the other fragments I piled up on a small thin blanket. Now that I could see his real face completely, I found him rather adorable to look at.

"Do you know where you are?"

The boy tilted his head to one side thoughtfully. "Ariss(Alice)...Wonderland?" He said uncertainly.

"Right!" I grinned happily. "What's your name?"

He shook his head faintly.

"You don't have a name? Then can I give you one?"

He nodded. I fumbled through the names in my mind.

" Um, Eric? Brad? Peter? Rue?" Then this name just flashed into my mind, out of the blue, a name that could have been...part of my life.

"Damian...is that an okay name?" I asked him. He must have heard the sad tone in my voice because he seemed puzzled and looked into my eyes searchingly. I blushed.

"Ah, that was one of the names my brother could have had: Derrick or Damian," I explained. "But he...died before he even got born." I looked at my hands lamely, wondering why I was telling him this.

"Damian," he repeated solemnly in his small voice, accepting the name I've given him. I smiled feebly.

"Well, I'm Aceli. It's a odd name. Can you say it?"

He sucked in his bottom lip.

"Ace...Eris."

I was startled.

"No, not Eris. 'Ace-Lee'. You almost had it."

"Eris."

Baffled, I studied him. He looked at me calmly. Maybe since he accepted my name, I'd have to get a new name from him too. Logic.

"Aceli?" I cheeped one last time, hopefully.

He put his hands on my shoulder. Those slanted, entrancing eyes with their black orbs bored straight into my being. My breath got stuck inside my lungs.

"No," he stated, firmly like a child who had made up his mind.

"Eris." _Goddess of Chaos._

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><p><em>And I had thought: ...All hell's going to break out? Right! I happen to like a bit of chaos myself. It's time to retaliate.<em>

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><p><em> Review!<em>


	5. Chapter 5

Scrapfis rule. You don't have to stress about this and that, you just write the darn thing =)

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><p><strong>The Power that Lies within the Dormant<strong>

_These days Cheshire hangs out with Alice and the March Hare. Of course I didn't forget that he was 'renegade-ing', but it still kind of bugged me. On the other hand, it meant I could spend more time with Damian. No one knows that he's awake now and I have no idea why I don't tell anyone about it. Just didn't feel like it, I guess. Laziness._

_There are things about Damian that baffle me though. He's a quiet, sweet boy, but there's a lot he keeping in the dark. Like, he always has the hood of his chocolate-coloured jacket over his head. The one time I tried pulling it off, he caught my hand and shook his head firmly._

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><p>"Don't do that."<p>

I arched one inquiring eyebrow.

He let one corner of his mouth pull up in a half-smile, half-smirk.

"One day you'll find out," was his mysterious reply.

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><p><em>The other question was how he knew things I didn't even know. For instance:<em>

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><p>I had been wondering out loud about Daisy and her weird powers while he was listening with that childish-yet-sagely patience.<p>

"What the hell does it do anyway?" I yawned after a long rant and since we were sitting back-to-back, I leaned against him lightly.

"It's the power of Lox," he said, "It'll cage your concious up somewhere so you can't get back to Wonderland or reality again."

"Oh. So I can't wake up ever again and spent eternity going insane trapped inside my own mind?" I widened my eyes as I came to realize things I never thought of before.

"Probably."

"Oh. My. Gosh. Then I am absolutely not letting that creep get me."

A pause. I turned my head slightly, as if that would let me see his face.

"How the hell did you know that?"

"...I guessed?"

"Seriously?"

That earned a little silent laugh from him. I could tell, since I was lying on his back.

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><p><em>His eyes, they were puzzling too.<em>

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><p>"Damian, what colour are your eyes?"<p>

I asked idly as we chilled out in the Teapot and talked. It was all we did, really. Voice our minds, not chat about nothing in particular.

"Can't you tell?" He asked back with a smile.

"It's honey brown in the sun, but..." I hesitated, "When it's in the shade, it looks a bit like Daisy's."

"And how does this Daisy's eyes look?"

"Like the darkness of a suffocating small room with no windows, doors or openings. Pure blackness where inner demons eat your soul alive."

"Have you been reading poetry, Eris?"

"No. I just give it a lot of thought since her eyes scare the hell out of me, even when I'm in reality." I shuddered, "Your eyes seem so similar to hers, the colour of cold, dark worlds..."

A short gap of silence.

"Can I look closer?"

"Ok."

I cupped his small face gently and tilted it to one side while I focused on his left eye and stared deeply into its depths. Damian continued gazing back at me, unfazed by my scrutiny. The only sound in the Teapot was the sound of our breathing.

"But your eyes are like..." I broke the silence with a whisper.

"...galaxies."

Indeed, as soon as I said that, it became clear.

Stars, pinpoints of light, novas, bursts of colours, all the beautiful and surreal things known and unknown, glowed from within those orbs. I was so enraptured by the magic of shining worlds living inside the space of an iris that I forgot to breathe. Suddenly Damian grasped my hands and took them off his cheeks to place them over his eyes.

"Don't look in too deep, Eris," he murmured warningly with a sad smile on his lips, "You might get lost."

I glanced at the fragile boy holding my hands over his eyes as if he was afraid for both of us and wondered why this image plucked at my heartstrings.

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><p><em>Really, he perplexed me. <em>

_But I'm starting to adore him with a bigger-sibling kind of affection, even though he makes me feel like I'm the kid in here sometimes. And so it worried me to no end that he was pale, listless, drowsy, like he was sick..._

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><p>Review if you think this was good.<p> 


	6. Chapter 6

Review yay!

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><p><strong>The Power that Lies within the Dormant<strong>

_A conversation that occurred some time as Aceli and Madam Hatteress were washing the dishes for once..._

Aceli: (as she rinses the foam of the crockery with care) How does Dormouse look like, Madam Hatteress? I've never seen him before...

Mad: Oh, Dormouse? He's a skinny boy with glasses. The bookworm type. (pauses mid-drying a teacup) He loved reading stories. It was either sleeping or reading. Didn't do anything else besides that, I recall.

Aceli: How come I don't see him around?

Mad: He's gone. I have no idea where.

Ace: Did you and March Hare tease him...in the old days? (says tentatively)

Mad: (a small sigh) Ah, we did. Rather terribly, I'm afraid. But it was the way we passed the time back then. I do feel rather guilty when I think about it.

Aceli: Then do you miss him? Sometimes?

Mad: (turns to look at Aceli with a puzzled look) Aceli, what's on? Why so many questions? You sound like you're investigating something.

Ace: Oh, I'm sorry. It's nothing much really...(a pause) Just having a curious and curiouser moment. (hastily hands Madam Hatteress a saucer to dry)

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><p><em>Days and nights after...<em>

**She wants to freaking kill me.**

It was just my 'unluck' that I landed from my reality-to-dream fall on somewhere along the river bank as I re-entered this Wonderland. Just a few feet away from Alice who was riding on March Hare. Now, if you don't know, March is a creepy monster of a 'hare', more or less about the size of a killer whale. He had dull black fur and huge, creepy yellow eyes. Not the most pleasant creature, and not one I'd like standing in front of.

I had literally, very literally, landed myself in a bad situation.

The duo...wait.

Cheshire.

He was with them, perched proudly on top on March's head in the form of a lazy black cat whose fur colour meshed in with March's. He had the nerve to grin down at me.

I glared up at him, feeling betrayed but not the least bit surprised.

Stupid me. I had imagined that we were on roughly good terms with each other, even though I knew he wasn't one to be depended on. The damn cat was just playing around. I found myself clenching my fist. Alice looked down at me like she was looking at a puddle of mud in her path.

" How _nice_ to see you, Ayli."

The nickname somehow brought a pang of pain to my mind. It was what she used to call me, back when we were little and still 'bestest friends', before the incident, before everything fell out of gear and broke down. It kind of hurt.

I breathed in deeply.

"Same here, Ally."

"Well, I'm so sorry that Daisy can't play with you today. She's sleeping so that she can have enough energy to play tag with you later, " she said in a sweet voice normally directed little children. It irked me.

"Why are you doing this, Alice? Why do you freaking hate me so much!" I yelled angrily and stared into her ice-coloured eyes. Eyes that I used to compliment as a small girl when we were playing hairdresser games.

"That is a stupid question. You know why, " she said coldy.

Frustration began building up in me. The childhood memories came flooding back in one huge tidal wave, sweeping all my walls and common sense away.

"Aahhhh-" I spat a swearword out, "It wasn't my bloody fault!"

"Excuses, excuses."

"I said sorry! Sorry, sorry, sorry, a thousand times over, even though it's no one's bloody fault that Robbyroo died," I cried out in a wobbly voice, gesturing violently. This surge of overwhelming emotions was making me say things I normally wouldn't. " I turned a deaf ear to all those bad rumors you've spread about me, took all the cold treatment without defending myself, I let you _humilate_ me in front of the whole school _just because I_...hoped so desperately that you'd stop being angry and we'd be friends again..." My vision was going watery, but I couldn't let it show. It'd only egg Alice on.

"Friends," the girl muttered. "Friends? Us? That is total bull."

That really hurt. Really hurt.

"Yeah," I blurted and laughed out bitterly. It sounded like the sour cackle of a mad woman to my ears. I was really losing it. "Total bullshark. I was stupid to let you shoot me down for the past eight years. You'd never forgive me. What the heck was I thinking?"

We glared straight into each others eyes.

"Exactly," she hissed.

March Hare lunged forward suddenly, all claws unsheathed.

My heart twisted painfully from the onslaught of rage burning inside and pure ice terror.

* * *

><p>Then I woke abruptly, sweaty, gasping breathelessly, with all my muscles feeling rigid with fear. Eyes snapped wide open.<p>

It's okay, it's okay, I assured myself. Breathe! Inhale, exhale...

My heart calmed down as the minutes slipped past.I sat up, rubbed the goosebumps down on my arms, and pushed my hair back. The blue digits of two a.m. glowed on Car-Z's windshield. The world was so quiet, so peaceful. If only my dreams could be the same.

I swung myself out of bed and sneaked to the kitchen. The hum of the fridge was reassuring. Reality seemed most fragile at the early hours. And so I spent the next two hours sipping coffee and shivering miserably, feeling so alone and helpless. At some time, I remember putting my face against the cold surface of the kitchen table and letting the tears fall silently...


	7. Chapter 7

_Sometimes you need to break down to build yourself back up again... thanks for the review._

_Angsty swearing warning. The title of this fic...this chapter starts it all..._

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><p><strong>The Power that Lies within the Dormant<strong>

I stumbled into the Teapot wearily, wishing I could just let my mind go blank in the grasp of sleep, instead of going from reality to dreamality and back again. Damian was curled up on a pile of carefully spread blankets. I leaned against the cold porclein wall and watched him mindlessly. Suddenly he opened his eyes and held my gaze. I couldn't find it in me to say anything, even a hello.

"You're wilting on the inside," he remarked sombrely. I rubbed the side of my face with heartfelt fatigue and smiled bitterly.

"Spot on, Damian..." My voice sounded hoarse. "I'm so tired of this all." I looked at the young boy and found myself holding my arms out to him.

"Can I get a hug, please?"

He willingly got up, picked his way towards me and hugged me without another word. He felt so small and fragile in my arms, yet I was the one asking for comfort, I was the one cracking into pieces. My eyes pricked painfully, and warm tears flowed over again. Oh gosh, I thought I had reached the tear-duct limit, but this...I embraced him tightly.

"I hate it, I hate it, I freaking hate it!" I blurted out hoarsely, trying to vent out all the slag I bottled inside, "Everytime she does that...I can't do anything to defend myself but run like a damn chicken. She's got March Hare, Daisy, hell, and now Cheshire on her side, all wanting to flush me out like I'm some piece of shit. And they're making feel like shit! I realize I'm not as tough as I want to be...I c-can't...I don't have anything..." My emo rant was broken off by Damian pulling out of my deathhug to kiss me on the side of my mouth. Just a clumsy, but genuinely concerned little boy kiss. But it was enough to blow all the shadows out of my mind with a soft explosion of light. I looked down at him with startled eyes, completely stunned speechless.

"You've got me," he smiled, his dark eyes sparkling with amusement at my flabbergasted expression. I could start seeing all those galaxies in the spaces of his black orbs again.

"You've got me on your side, Eris, and a special ability within. You just need some help unlocking your power, which is exactly what I'll do."

"Power? What power?" I sniffed, rubbed the tears away and looked at him incredulously.

"This..." The boy reached up and touched my forehead. When he took his hand away, there was a necklace in his hold. I raised my eyebrows, smiling.

"Magic trick?"

"Don't underestimate Miss-Piece-of-Pretty-Apple," Damian warned. Indeed, on the end of the delicate golden chain was a thin slice-of-an-apple charm. I studied it curiously. As a girl, I couldn't resist admiring jewellery, no matter how down in the dumps I was. The fruit-slice looked almost edible: its skin was the alluring red of Snow White's poison apple, the 'flesh' made out of a material that glistened with small, grain-sized sparkles, and the pip was a shiny teardrop diamond.

"It's lovely," I breathed, enchanted.

"And you can have this and the power it contains...if you're willing to bear the price."

"Price. Powers always have to come with setbacks, huh?" I noted glumly.

"Of course. Or else, they'll never reach their full potential."

"Right, fill me in."

"Sickness, insomnia and a whopper of a headache for three days. But when you return to this place, you'll have gained something."

"So... this can help me fend off Alice?" I asked doubtfully.

"Yes."

"Alright." No hesitation. "Deal."

Damian smiled and whispered. "Good luck, Eris. I'll be waiting for you." And he gently clasped the pendant around my neck.

* * *

><p><strong>BEEP BEEP BEEP CLOOOOOOP WHOOOOP<strong>

"Argh!" I grunted. I reached out and gave Car-Z a hefty thump on the hood to shut it up. My head hurts...I cracked open my dry eyes. I'm in...my bedroom. Someone comes in and sits near the end of the bed.

"Morning, hon."

"Mom?" I squawked. Oh gobstoppers, my head is cracking into pieces! And my throat is on fire. I winced and covered my eyes from the searing sunlight with an arm.

"Honey, why were you sleeping in the kitchen?"

"Huh, what? Oh, I, um, didn't mean to." Oh fudge, my entire body aches like hell.

My mother sighed.

"Well, you've caught a very bad cold from doing that. I'll have to ask a few days off from school."

"Sorry..." I suddenly broke off to cough like crazy.

"Your dad's gone to get some medicine. You'll have to take it after you eat, okay?"

Ugh, cough syrup...

Thus I begin to bear the price.


	8. Chapter 8

_Insert *foreveralonememface* here_

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><p><strong>The Power that Lies Within<strong> **the Dormant**

The object hurtled through the clouds,

crashed through the capony of the forest

and landed with an explosive spray of debris and dirt.

A trail of white-gray smoke stained the air.

The jabberwock stirred in its slumber,

the bandersnatch sniffed the air and listened,

and other unknown creatures within the forest hesitated.

Two certain beings turned their heads

in the direction of the sound

and began to run.

In the center of the newly-made crater, the round object gave a small hiss before splitting into segments and falling open. The person inside rose up slowly to their feet. Narrowed green eyes surveyed the circle of destruction where small flames were beginning to devour the nearby trees. The girl made a growl of displeasure and waved an absentminded arm at the flames which distorted into harmless steam. She turned around.

Two boys were watching her warily from the edge of the crater, two boys with insanely perfect faces and luminous eyes:

Dolls. Twins.

They stood about three foot tall, each facial feature alike, yet expression, color and clothing unsimilar.

The one with the white-bleached hair stepped forward and spoke up in his alluring, angelic voice.

"What's your name?"

The girl regarded them with keen eyes.

"Introduce yourselves first, please,"" she said impassively at last. The white-haired twin glanced at his dark haired brother who shrugged carelessly before they made their way carefully towards her on nimble lanky legs; they were most likely ball-jointed.

"I'm Tweedle Dee," the snowy-haired doll replied, "And this is Tweedle Dun."

The second twin who had been staring down at his red-as-freshly-spilt-blood sneakers all this time muttered something incorhent.

"He says: Tweedle Dun, Dun for Duncan, not Tweedle Dum, Dum as in dumb," the first sibling translated automatically.

The girl looked from one twin to the next.  
>"Well, why do you ask for my name?"<p>

Once again, Dun mumbled something, causing his brother to roll his blue cat-like eyes.

"Ignore him please. We owe someone a favor and that person has requested us to keep an eye out for visitors; he is waiting for someone, we assume."

"And the name of that someone you owe a favor is...?"

Tweedle Dee began to look slightly irked at being asked so many questions. Dun whispered one single word.

"Damian."

The girl's eyes widened slightly and she snapped a hand behind her. The metal pod disgenerated rapidly into steam. Her lips stretched into an eager smile.

"Eris...call me Eris," she replied.


End file.
